Does Jesus Still Heal Us Today?

We are well aware that Jesus performed many healings during His ministry. In his gospel, St. Mark tells us that sick people were healed simply by touching the tassel of Jesus’ cloak (Mk 6:56). As in the time of Christ, there are many people today who are in need of healing. Often it isn’t a physical healing, but a spiritual one that is needed. How do we receive that healing today?

The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus is present in the Sacraments. The main way that we receive healing from the sickness of grave (mortal) sin is through the sacrament of Confession (a.k.a Penance or Reconciliation). Even though we confess our sins to a priest, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) informs us that it is God, not the priest, who forgives us:

Only God forgives sins. Since he is the Son of God, Jesus says of himself, “The Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins” and exercises this divine power: “Your sins are forgiven.” Further, by virtue of his divine authority he gives this power to men to exercise in his name. (CCC 1441)

In order to ensure that His healing ministry would continue, Jesus entrusted the Apostles with the authority to forgive sins in His name. The successors of the Apostles are the Bishops, assisted by priests. This process of apostolic succession makes it possible for us to receive forgiveness directly from God and be reconciled with the Church.

The Catechism does an excellent job of explaining the sacrament in greater detail (Click here to read) and I strongly encourage you to read it. Rest assured that Jesus is still performing miraculous healings every day through this great sacrament. If you haven’t been to Confession in a while, why not give it a try?